PlayStation Now is PlayStation Maybe or Never

Despite the high probability that the technologies introduced, launched, and announced at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) are not likely to reach our markets in the same time frame as our developed country counterparts, one can’t resist to take a peek and discuss the what-if scenario. At least, we should not be in total darkness about emerging technologies just because we are not likely to have access to them in Zambia or other parts of Africa. After all, the lesson that globalization has been hammering home these past few years is that we have become global citizens especially with the presence of the internet. Thus, I delve into the discussion of the announcement of PlayStation Now at the 2014 CES 3 days ago. The CES is a global stage for innovation where all who thrive on the business of consumer technologies gather every year in Las Vegas. For the past 40 years, it has served as the global stage where next-generation innovations are introduced to the marketplace.

As exciting as the announcement of the launch of PlayStation Now is, we question what this means for the future relevance of PlayStation consoles, most especially the PlayStation 4 (PS4) which was only launched in November of 2013 and is claimed to be the most powerful console they have ever created. According to Sony PlayStation Marketing VP John Koller, PS4 was the largest console launch ever, selling over 2.1 million units in just 2 weeks and as of December 28, 2013, 4.2 million units of the console had been sold.

Playstation Now will be using the cloud service technology acquired from Gaikai, a streaming company which Sony purchased in 2012. Talk about acquisition maximisation! This will introduce the world of PlayStation to non-console owners via Smartphones, Tablets, Televisions and other devices. Consequently, this paves the way for gamers to play whenever and wherever they want. This marks a new era of streamed gaming similar to something like Netflix’s subscription model.

However, we don’t expect that PlayStation Now will be making its way to Zambia any time soon with the beta version only expected to be operational in the United States by the end of January and the full roll out by the Summer. It seems that for Zambia and other parts of Africa, except South Africa which is in a class of its own, PlayStation Now will only be PlayStation  Eventually, or PlayStation Maybe or in the worst case scenario PlayStation Never, to us.

Images credit: PlayStation.Blog